


unraveling

by Chae_moon



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-24 18:33:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14959904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chae_moon/pseuds/Chae_moon
Summary: snapshots of alex and zach. zach and alex? Alex and Zach falling in love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i'm ignoring the end of episode 13. tyler never came back and is getting the help he needs. monty is gone. where is he? you ask. Gone. this story is about alex and zach bc its what they deserve.

Drake was playing over the speakers. Alex and Zach were dancing like idiots. 

Could you call what they were doing dancing? 

Alex's movements were pretty limited, but every time he would get in his head about how much it sucked that only half of his body worked, he would catch Zach doing the sprinkler or obnoxiously hitting the folks and forget about the whole thing over his laughter. 

"Where's Jessica?" 

“What” Alex yelled back.

“Where’s Jessica?” Zach said moving so close to Alex that he could see the slight sheen of sweat that had formed over Zach's face. 

“Probably fucking Justin” Alex couldn’t help smiling when his mouth caught on the word “fucking.” 

Zach had wide eyes, “Are you serious?” 

“I accidentally saw them when I was going to the bathroom. I don’t think Justin or Jessica noticed me though”. 

Zach was quiet for a while. 

"Do you want to get out of here?" 

\----- 

Zach’s guided him out of the gym with his left hand on the small of Alex’s back. 

It felt strangely intimate; actually, a lot of things with Zach did. He just had that kind of effect on Alex. Small touches felt like tsunamis. 

“Are you mad?” Zach said when they had reached the parking lot. 

“No,” Alex said kicking a rock away with his right foot. 

That wasn't entirely true it had stung; to see Justin and Jessica hungrily making out in their schools' gym locker room of all places. But if Alex really thought about it, he wasn't upset because he had any lingering romantic feelings for Jessica he was just upset Jessica hadn't told him anything. And maybe a little jealous that he wasn't in the position to climb into someone's lap and stick his tongue down their throat. 

He snuck a glance at Zach, and the proximity between the two of them and the thought of tongues and lips made him feel slightly flushed. 

“Are you sure?” Zach said his eyebrows knitted together; he honestly seemed more concerned about the whole thing than Alex. 

“I feel like I should be more upset or whatever, like yeah I just caught my kind of girlfriend or whatever screwing Justin. But —" 

Alex smoothed his thumb over the top of his cane. 

"— I haven’t felt that way about Jessica in a long time. I guess I just kind of thought being with her would make something about me feel normal.” 

Zach nodded, and his expression cleared. 

“That makes sense, I’m still sorry, man. It kind of ruined the dance”. 

Zach’s hand was still warm at the bottom of Alex’s back, the stars shined just enough that Alex could catch their outline in the brown of Zach's eyes, “it didn’t ruin anything.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pastaaa !!!

  
_wanna hang?_

It was Zach.

 **sure**.

Alex typed back.

 _should_ i _come over?_

**no**

_what_ _whu?_

* _why_

**im starving and my mom only has kale in our fridge**

_:(_

_so....pizza?_

**u kno me so well dempsey**

_;)_

Zach's winky face text is sent at 3:35 pm which makes his approximate arrival time around 4:18 pm. Zach doesn't live that far away but Alex factors in time for Zach to change his shirt, time to say bye to May, and time for Zach to realize halfway through the drive to Alex's house he forgot his wallet.

It has happened before.

Telling himself that he'll just be chill and wait for Zach Alex clicks off his phone and pulls out the book he's supposed to be reading for English.

He's halfway through a paragraph when he peaks over at his phone hoping for the screen to be lit with a text from Zach telling him that he's made record time and is ready to stuff his face.

His phone screen is black.

Forcefully he turns his attention back to his book.

Books. Reading. Wow. So fun.

Alex isn't really sure why he's so against checking the time. Maybe because it feels like admitting to the simmer of anticipation Alex feels whenever he and Zach are going to hang out.

Which is stupid because they do this a lot. Him and Zach. They hang out all the time. They probably hang out more than Justin and Clay, and Justin and Clay are literal fucking brothers now.

Weird.

He definitely doesn't want to be brothers with Zach. That would be strange. His first boner in months and it's for his hypothetical brother. Yes, thank god his mom can't adopt Zach.

His eyes tell him he has just read a page, but his brain doesn't seem to agree with that assertion. His brain is a mantra of Zach, Zach, Zach, Pizza, and _Zach_.

  
Giving in to his impulse and ignoring the mantra of oooh do you like him?. Alex reaches over and turns his phone on. He's being lame and it's okay to be excited to see a friend. Screw his brain and all its over thinking

It's only 3:41 pm.

Alex would chuck his stupid book across the room if he didn't know bending down to pick it up will be harder than its worth.

  
3:45 pm.

_Here :)_

\-----

They don’t get pizza.

Halfway through the drive to their typical pizza joint which is a rundown dominos Zach points at a Magianos and says “you wanna get Italian instead?”

“Pizza is Italian.”

“I see your point, but I feel like Dominos isn’t,” Zach says.

“Okay, why not,” Alex agrees.

“Awesome,” Zach says while flicking the turn signal on and driving into the restaurants parking lot.

 

\-----

  
“You have a little--” Zach says while making a gesture and pointing to his chin.

“Sauce?” Alex asks.

Zach nods.

Alex rubs his chin with his napkin, “gone?”

“No its here,” Zach says pointing to a spot on the side of his face.

Alex over aggressively rubs the side of his face.

“Gone?”

“No dude it's on the other side of your face.”

Alex over aggressively rubs the other side of his face and raises his eyebrows expectantly at Zach.

“You just smeared it,” Zach says with a look of pity on this face.

Alex rolls his eyes and grabs a napkin.

“Wait, I got it,” Zach says reaching out.

“Uh” Alex sets his hand down. “Okay.”

Zach's hand brushes the side of his mouth. His thumb is warm, and Alex feels his face redden under the simple touch. He prays it's not obvious, but it probably is. Curse his pale complexion and curse Zach’s big warm hands.

Zach swipes his thumb one more time and then kind of just presses it there.

Alex debates the option of seductively opening his mouth and licking Zach’s finger but figures losing Zach’s friendship isn’t worth giving in to the impulse. It's a close call though. Zach's eyes are _so_ brown and intense, and Alex has had to repeatedly remind himself that it's not a date. Just because Zach wants to go to a nicer restaurant, it's not a date. Just because Zach is wearing a short sleeved button up and the only time Alex had ever seen Zach dressed remotely formal was for the trial, and the dance doesn’t make it a date. Just because Zach pulled out his chair, it's not a date. Well, the last one isn’t even a good reason. Alex's body is basically half broken and Zach is a nice guy. So definitely not a date.

  
Alex knows he shouldn't get so caught up in his feelings. That he needs time for himself and to learn himself and all that other shit that's spewed in the self-help books his mom makes him read. And yeah maybe he should also give himself space to fully process everything with Jess.

But its _Zach_. How can he not get caught up?

Zach spent half of the dinner listening to Alex whine about his parents and the other half laughing at Alex's poor impression of Mr. Eisenberg; their English teacher. Zach has a full body laugh that involves all parts of his body. When Alex was first testing out his slightly crude impression of Mr. Eisenbergs extremely husky voice while reading the menu Zach almost spit out his water. Which felt like a victory to Alex

Alex keeps discovering all these small little things about Zach, and all of them make him feel off balance, like how in the dim light of the room Alex can see the shadows made by Zach's eyelashes. It's stupid they're just shadows but it makes Zach look so attractive, everything just hurts and Alex swears Zach's finger touching his mouth just might destroy him.

Zach's eyes widened, and he retracts his hand like he just realized he's been touching Alex's face for much longer than whats socially acceptable under their circumstances. 

“Uh, it's gone,” Zach says looking down and twirling a noodle on to his fork.

There is a beat of silence as Alex looks down at his own half-eaten spaghetti and wonders if maybe he purposefully eats like a slob, Zach will have to touch his face again. 

“Want some?” Alex says holding up his fork. Ignoring the part of him that would given the chance make a fool of himself for Zach. 

Zach looks up, “Nah I hate spaghetti.”

“Who hates spaghetti? You absolute monster.” Alex says expression aghast.

“Me.” Zach states.

Then his face scrunches up like he’s seriously questioning the moral repercussions of hating spaghetti.

“I guess it’s weird. I like pizza and Lazana so its not the red sauce. I like regular pasta —“

Zach points to his plate of nearly finished Alfrado.

“— so it’s not the noodles. Honestly, I don’t know what it is.”

Alex nods solemnly, “Maybe God is just punishing you.”

“That must be it,” Zach says sarcastically.

“You probably committed some crime in your past life, and this is your penance.”

Zach smiles then his expression turns slightly serious. “Do you believe in past lives?” he asks. 

Alex frowns, “Maybe? I haven’t given it too much thought.”

Zach nods then adds, “I kind of want to believe that you get another chance or like maybe you don’t just disappear." 

Alex wonders if Zach is thinking of Hannah when he says that. It's strange thinking about Zach and Hannah and everything that happened between them. Alex could always see it in Clays face that he still loved Hannah like she was she right there in the room. With Zach, Alex could never tell. He doubts he'll ever work up the courage to ask. 

“Yeah I know what you mean," Alex says softly. All Alex wanted a couple months ago was to disappear. The thought still lingers in Alex's mind leeching onto his anger and sadness like a parasite, but it's not what he wants anymore. Right now all Alex wants is to live his life _better. A_ s messed up as he is Alex wants the chance. 

 

"I wouldn't mind being a dandelion next time around,” Zach says.

"Well actually I feel like you would make a better dandelion," Zach amends. 

 

What does that even mean? Pro-tip: don't have crushes on people who say you remind them of a dandelion. 

 

"Why? Because I'm small and people can easily step on me?" Alex asks. 

 "Um no, because you were like--" 

 

Zach makes a gesture pointing towards Alex's head. The movement fails to clarify why Alex would make a good dandelion.

 

"--blond." 

 

Alex huffs out an exasperated laugh. "Dandelions are yellow." 

"Yeah, but like in kindergarten all the blond people would use the yellow crayon to color their hair, and they all looked like little dandelions to me," Zach says this like his statement makes complete sense and is a proven scientific fact. 

"Glad to know my poor attempt at being 'edgy and cool' actually resulted in you thinking of me as a human dandelion for a year." 

"Don't worry Alex I like your hair now," Zach grins showing his gums and Alex flicks a spaghetti noodle at his face. 

 

 

 

 


End file.
